“In pleasant contrast to the more Disneyesque exhibits at the Pequot Museum, Tamastslikt offers a highly poetic – indeed a sensuous – mingling of tribal artifacts, dioramas, and recordings of natural sounds and stories told by tribal members. With its more intimate scale the Tamastslikt Institute has a more personal touch”.
–Sunday Oregonian, Arts and Books Section of Jan 31,1999
We worked to assure that this exhibit is about Native Americans as told by Native Americans, a refreshing change from the standard history books. A simple storyline, “We Were” - “We Are” - “We Will Be”, is the base for exhibit development. It also identifies who is telling the story and the viewpoint from which it is told. The story begins with the cycle of the seasons and their associated activities...
“ I am pleased to inform you, (Roberta Connor, Director, TCI) that the Institute has won the 1999 James. B. Castles Heritage Award from the Center for Columbia River History for significant contributions to deepening public understanding of Columbia River Basin History.” —William L. Lang, Director